Hinamatsuri or Girl's Day is by far my favorite holiday. Held on the third day of the third month, it's a Japanese traditional celebration that's also called The Doll Festival. When Japanese girls are young they receive special gorgeous figures to display and the day is spent focusing on bringing the girl love and happiness in the future.

The best part about Hinamatsuri is the food. Oh, the glorious food. But with food allergies, what do you eat?

PLENTY.



I used this recipe to make Hamaguri Ushiojiru (Clam Soup). Just substitute the Soy Sauce for San-J's Wheat-Free Tamari and make sure the Sake you get is straight Sake without other ingredients in it. Sake is made from rice and is pretty allergy friendly if you get the right kind. I also used Mizuna (Japanese Mustard Leaf) instead of Nanohana (Rape Flower) or Mitsuba (Fresh Parsley). I accidentally bought the wrong thing but it turned out to be a lovely mistake. The soup is supposed to bring about a happy marriage. Some superstitions say that it's important to put two clams in the soup to represent you and the one you will someday marry.



The traditional Hishi-Mochi (Rice Cakes) tended to have eggs or dairy in them, but I found this delicious Sakura-Mochi and Domyouji. (I'm not ambitious enough to make my own.) They are dyed glutenous rice (they are gluten-free, just prepared glutenous) with Azuki (Sweet Red Bean) Paste filling and wrapped in a Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Leaf. Honestly, I think these are better.



Plus one of my favorites for any time of the year, Sekihan Onigiri (Azuki Bean Rice Balls). I used a flower rice mold I picked up at the grocery store today to make them into cute little Sakura shapes. Recipe for these will be up tomorrow!



And last but not least, the Hina Arare (Flower Rice Crackers). Delicious, but made out of wheat. If you can't handle wheat once and a while like I can, a great substitute is Konpeito Star Candy. Available at any Japanese market, it's rock candy but is very similar in sweetness and appearance to the Hina Arare.

Happy Feasting!